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Storage system including a device, data management unit, control unit and/or primary computer, and method, for allocating storage area

a storage system and storage area technology, applied in the field of storage system and storage area allocation method, can solve the problems of deteriorating response performance, inability to specify the position and access path of the physical device comprising the logical volume, and inability to select the optimum logical volum

Inactive Publication Date: 2008-05-27
HITACHI LTD
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a storage system and method for allocating storage areas to applications programs based on their characteristics and the physical relationship between the storage areas. The system includes a primary computer, a storage apparatus, and a secondary computer. The primary computer induces execution of applications programs and manages data stored in the storage apparatus. The secondary computer manages storage areas within the storage system and can select suitable storage areas based on the characteristics of the data being stored. The system can also include a control unit that considers physical location conditions and selects unused storage areas that match the characteristics of the data being stored. The physical location conditions can include information related to the storage device, such as its location and access path. The system can also select the requested storage area based on its logical relationship to other storage areas and related data, as well as to avoid I / O conflict. The technical effects of the invention include efficient allocation of storage areas and improved performance of the storage system.

Problems solved by technology

However, in the conventional technology disclosed in the afore-mentioned document, the broad conditions related to the logical volume such as volume size and RAID configuration can be specified, however, detailed conditions such as position and access path of the physical device comprising the logical volume cannot be specified.
Therefore, when the practical method of use of the application is considered, there is an unresolved problem in that an optimum logical volume cannot be selected for the application.
Thus, storage device I / O conflict occurs, and response performance deteriorates.
Furthermore, in terms of reliability, important files such as system files are stored on a plurality of logical volumes and thus duplicated.
However, in the conventional technology disclosed in the afore-mentioned document, selection of a logical volume in consideration of the method of use of the files by the application is not possible.
Thus, with the conventional technology, a problem exists in that there is a possibility that a logical volume unsuitable in terms of reliability and performance will be selected, and a logical volume suitable for the application cannot be selected.

Method used

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  • Storage system including a device, data management unit, control unit and/or primary computer, and method, for allocating storage area
  • Storage system including a device, data management unit, control unit and/or primary computer, and method, for allocating storage area
  • Storage system including a device, data management unit, control unit and/or primary computer, and method, for allocating storage area

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first embodiment

[0064]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the storage system according to the present invention. This storage system can, for example, comprise the operations host 10, the storage apparatus 20, and the management host 30. One of each of these components is shown in FIG. 1, however, a plurality of operations hosts 10 and a plurality of storage apparatuses 20 can be provided.

[0065]The operations host 10 is, for example, composed of a server or mainframe, and executes one or a plurality of operational processing. The operations host 10 can be composed of, for example, an application 110, a volume management unit 120, and a volume management table 130. The application 110 can be, for example, a database management program, a webpage creation program, a document creation program, or an image creation program and the like. Execution of a plurality of types of applications 110 can be induced on a single operations host 10.

[0066]The volume management unit 120 mana...

second embodiment

[0164]The second embodiment is described based on FIG. 14 through FIG. 16. In the present embodiment, the possibility of selection of each logical disk 222 is weighted and evaluated. Each of the embodiments described below is a variation of the first embodiment described above.

[0165]FIG. 14 is a descriptive diagram showing the configuration of the distribution rule table 313A used in the present embodiment. This distribution rule table 313 has the same configuration as the distribution rule table 313 described in the previous embodiment except for flag content.

[0166]In the distribution rule table 313A, flags are set to multiple values, and the physical location relationship between the logical disks 222 (physical location relationship between a plurality of files) is weighted. For example, the value ‘−1’ is set in the first rule (r#1) flag, and the value ‘4’ is set in the second rule (r#2) flag and third rule (r#3) flag. The value ‘5’ is set in the fourth rule (r#4) flag.

[0167]The v...

third embodiment

[0182]The third embodiment is described based on FIG. 17 through FIG. 21. In the present embodiment, the management host 30 allocates a suitable logical disk 222 to an application 110 in a storage system having a plurality of storage apparatuses 20 and a plurality of operations hosts 10.

[0183]FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the storage system according to the present embodiment. This storage system has a plurality of operations hosts 10, a plurality of storage apparatuses 20, and a management host 30.

[0184]The configuration of each operations host 10 and each storage apparatus 20 is the same as described in the first embodiment. This description is therefore omitted. Each operations host 10 and each storage apparatus 20 are, for example, connected by a plurality of fiber channel switches 40. Each switch 40 has a plurality of ports 41. These switches 40 are each connected between from the LAN port 42 to the management host 30 via the communications net...

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for allocating volumes having a suitable physical location relationship based on a method of use of files by applications.When an application management unit receives an application area expansion request, a distribution request table is created based on a preset distribution rule table and a file management table. The distribution rule table includes a flag indicating whether or not files stored on a logical disk for allocation, and existing files, may be stored on the same disk drive. A storage management unit selects, in consideration of the distribution request table, a logical disk having suitable physical attributes from unused logical disks satisfying basic conditions such as requested size and RAID configuration. The selected logical disk is allocated to the application.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION[0001]This application relates to and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-106034 filed on Apr. 1, 2005, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to a storage system and a method for allocating storage area.[0004]For example, in order to manage efficiently the rapidly increasing amounts of information in various organizations such as administrative organizations, enterprises, and universities, storage resources are shared between a plurality of computers. The SAN (Storage Area Network), for example, is known as such a system.[0005]The SAN, for example, has a plurality of host computers (hereafter referred to as ‘hosts’), and a plurality of storage apparatuses. Data can be transferred between each host and storage apparatus based on, for example, a fiber channel protocol.[0006]The storage apparatuses are also ...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Patents(United States)
IPC IPC(8): G06F12/00
CPCG06F3/0605G06F3/0631G06F3/067G06F11/1435
Inventor SHIMAZAKI, KOICHINAKANO, YUKIO
Owner HITACHI LTD